PETALING JAYA: With Budget 2027 expected to shape priorities across the education system, stakeholders are calling for greater investment in research talent, industry-ready skills, teachers and school infrastructure, alongside a fairer and more sustainable higher education ecosystem.
University of Nottingham Malaysia vice-provost of research and knowledge exchange Prof Dr Shahir Liew said Malaysia needs to focus on converting existing talent into research and development capability alongside efforts to grow more science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates.
“This requires expanding access to flexible, part-time, industry-embedded postgraduate research structures with clear career outcomes,” he said.
Prof Shahir said stronger industry-academia partnerships are also needed with employers playing a more active role in shaping curricula, providing real-world research problems and co-sponsoring employees’ part-time postgraduate research.
The need to align education more closely with industry is similarly evident in technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Perda Advanced Technical Institute general manager Datuk Mohd Asri Baharum @ Harun said automation, digitalisation, AI and data-driven technologies are rapidly changing technical employment, requiring TVET graduates to develop digital, analytical and problem-solving skills alongside conventional technical competencies.
“The need for greater TVET investment has become increasingly urgent because the nature of technical employment is changing rapidly.
“Greater involvement from industry in curriculum development, training, assessment, work-based learning and apprenticeships can help ensure that competencies taught by TVET institutions remain relevant,” he said.
At school level, National Union of the Teaching Profession of Malaysia secretary-general Fouzi Singon said education allocations must ultimately translate into better learning environments, stronger teacher support and improved student outcomes.
He said this includes more funding for school infrastructure and safety, teacher well-being and professional development, as well as earlier intervention for students struggling with key subjects.
For private higher education, Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities president Datuk Parmjit Singh said Budget 2027 should create a fairer and more enabling policy environment for private institutions, which are largely self-funded.
Among his proposals are extending equal National Higher Education Fund Corporation repayment exemptions to eligible first-class graduates from recognised private institutions.
“There should be greater recognition that public and private institutions form part of one national higher education ecosystem,” he said, adding that students should not be disadvantaged simply because they choose private higher education.
